


Ephemeral

by Rocky_T



Series: Kindred Spirits [3]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-06
Updated: 2013-08-06
Packaged: 2017-12-22 15:12:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/914718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocky_T/pseuds/Rocky_T
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q drops in on his favorite captains. Part 3 of the "Kindred Spirits" series</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Picard stretched his arms luxuriously and leaned back, replete, against the satin pillows. He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and smiled in anticipation. He'd rest for a minute and then he'd join her. Yes, just a minute or two to get his second wind...

"She's absolutely exquisite, isn't she?"

The leering voice snapped him out of his post-coital induced reverie. "Q!" Picard reflexively clutched the sheets to his body and glared at the entity lying next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Such outraged modesty!" Q flicked playfully at the edge of the fabric covering Picard's chest. "Purely a wasted effort, as it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Picard waited silently.

"Oh, very well." Q snapped his fingers and reappeared--fully clothed, Picard was relieved to see--at the foot of the bed. "Happy now?"

"Your timing leaves much to be desired," Picard said, as he stood up and attempted to draw his robe--and his dignity--around himself.

Q held up a finger in admonishment. "On the contrary, mon capitain! I could have dropped by earlier, but I didn't think you'd appreciate my interrupting a tender moment." He winked lasciviously.

"I don't know that I appreciate it now," Picard said. He cast a hasty glance at the closed bathroom door, then turned his attention back to Q. "What do you want?"

Q glanced at the door as well and smiled. "Do I have to want something?" he said innocently. "Can't I merely be dropping in on one of my favorite captains?"

"Your past behavior makes that highly unlikely," Picard said bluntly. "Your appearances are never random, and never have pleasant consequences."

"Oh, that's not so," Q said, standing as well. "You're still here, aren't you?"

Picard gave a barely perceptible nod, hating to concede the point. He watched with increasing irritation as Q strolled around the room, handling the various items on the dresser, occasionally leaning in to examine something more closely. 

"So what have you been up to lately?" Q bent down and picked up a lacy black garter belt from the floor. He tossed it to Picard. "Other than the obvious?"

Picard hastily stuffed the offending object in his pocket. Experience had taught him when dealing with Q, the best defense was a spirited offense. "What happened to omniscient?" he taunted in turn. "Or don't tell me, you've been too busy to see for yourself what's been going on. How is your son, by the way? Still making life miserable for lesser beings?"

"Why, Jean-Luc! If I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous."

"But you do know better," Picard said, folding his arms across his chest. "Believe me, I haven't missed you at all."

"I suppose you have enough to occupy you these days," Q said, focusing his attention on the bed once more. "And to think some people were afraid you'd be terribly bored while waiting for your ship's refit to be completed."

The sound of the water had stopped. Picard thought he could hear a slight splash. He turned back to Q, not bothering to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "So you just dropped by to catch up with an 'old friend?'"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Q said, lifting the quilted satin coverlet to peer under the bed.

"When were we ever friends, Q?"

Q chuckled and straightened up. Picard suddenly realized that even though Q was attired in a Starfleet uniform, as was his wont, an admiral's rank bar glittered on his collar instead of the usual captain's pips. "It's gratifying to see you haven't changed a bit. Lose one ship, get another, see the world changing around you--even your stick-in-the-mud crewmembers, who make you look positively daring by comparison, are finally cutting the apron strings and venturing forth on their own. And yet your perspective remains the same."

"You make it sound like a bad thing." Picard said, wondering what Q was getting at. "I've always prided myself on my consistency."

"Consistency." Q made a face as if the word tasted bad. "Is that what they're calling it these days? Well, maybe Kathy can shake you up a bit."

Picard opened his mouth angrily.

"Is that a blush I see?" Q came to stand beside him, closer than Picard would have liked. "Of course, I'm fully aware of your dealings with the lady." He clasped his hands over his heart and struck an exaggerated pose. "Ah, l'amour."

Picard felt his annoyance change to alarm as he remembered a previous time Q had taken an avid interest in his love life. He glanced around, chiding himself for his foolishness but very relieved to see his bedroom had not been transformed into a replica of Sherwood Forest. "Look, Q, whatever 'helpful' diversion you've got in mind for me, just leave Kathryn out of it."

"What makes you think I have anything planned?"

Picard drew himself up to his full height. "Clearly, your appearance here --and your mention of Kathryn--is no coincidence. I'm telling you right now to leave her alone. Stay out of my romantic affairs. In fact, stay out of my affairs altogether."

Q laughed. "You mean you have your love life well in hand at the moment, or at least think you do."

"You find it amusing, do you?"

"I find your assumptions quite amusing, yes." Q leaned forward, as if about to impart a confidence. "Tell me, Jean-Luc, after all this time spent with Kathy, you actually consider her a fragile flower in need of protection?" He laughed once more. "You clearly don't know her very well, do you?"

"I'm aware of your dealings with her in the past," Picard said, refusing to budge. "She's told me of your outrageous proposal."

"Oh, that." Q made a dismissive gesture. "As I'm sure she's also told you, matters worked out for the best all around."

"Yes, they did. Which is why neither of us would welcome your interference."

"I wouldn't dream of interfering in the course of true love." Q resumed his tour of the room. "I'm just an interested onlooker. Yes, a very interested onlooker, indeed."

Something in his tone put Picard on guard. "Did you have something to do with our meeting in the first place?"

"You mean, did I cause you to get together? No, the two of you did that all on your own. In fact, I was as surprised as you were. Funny," Q said thoughtfully, "how you can know someone better than they know themselves and they can still occasionally do the unexpected. Don't take this the wrong way, Jean-Luc, but you and Kathy aren't my idea of a perfect match. Frankly, you're all wrong for each other."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, on the surface you have a lot in common," Q said, looking out the window. There had been a few clouds earlier in the evening, but now Picard saw it was completely overcast. No stars were visible. "Both celebrated starship captains, mavericks who don't take kindly to being told what to do. Plenty of shared experiences, such as the Borg. She _has_ told you about her time as a drone, hasn't she? Unlike your assimilation, Kathy's was entirely voluntary--for a good cause, of course." He shook his head fondly. "Oh yes, she's got a martyr complex that surpasses even yours, has bought even more thoroughly into the whole 'self sacrifice' mythos Starfleet likes to cultivate in its top commanders. But fundamentally, you're too different to ever make it work. Do yourself a favor, Jean-Luc, call the whole thing off right now, before anyone gets hurt."

"You'll forgive me if I ignore your suggestion," Picard said flatly.

"Consider it a piece of friendly advice." Q turned back to him and gestured around the room. "I'll grant you have a nice little idyll going on now, but what happens in a few weeks? The Enterprise-E will set off again on its mission, and Kathy will be stuck here on Earth. Giving orders to others to do the sort of exploration she'd love to be doing herself, _should_ be doing herself." Q rolled his eyes. "Those cretins at the Admiralty decided to kick her upstairs instead of putting her natural talents to use. Assuming you can make a long-distance relationship work--and Kathy has far more experience regarding those pitfalls than you can ever know--how long do you think it'll be before she begins to resent you? A constant reminder of what she can never have?"

"I don't think that's any of your concern."

"I'm making it my concern." All mockery was gone from Q's voice. "Do you really know what her life has been these past seven years? Everything she gave up just to get her people home? A saner person would have given up. But not Kathy. Ironic isn't it, that her very triumph meant the loss of everything she held dear." Q grasped Picard's arm. " _You're_ mourning the loss of your favorite lap dog, with Riker finally deciding to grow up and take his own command like he should have ten years ago. Whereas Kathy has seen her entire crew disbanded and scattered. Tragic as witnessing the destruction of your ship, far worse is seeing it consigned to a museum, open to the gawking purveyance of every Tom, Dick and Harry. Tell me, Jean-Luc, how are you going to deal with that kind of bitterness?"

Picard's stance softened. "I appreciate the warning, but I think I'm well able to cope--"

"Yes, based on your vast successful experience with women," Q said, his lip curling. "In case you haven't noticed, Kathy is no shrinking violet. She's not Beverly or Kamala. You've always tended to go for the shy, retiring types who allowed you to dominate them. The only time you've come close to picking a woman able to stand up to you, well, we all know how well things worked out with Vash."

"Vash was a rogue and a thief--"

"You don't even know the half of it," agreed Q. "Of course, once the excitement had died down, your boring set of morals would have compelled you to end it with her. But as she dumped you first--"

Picard said heatedly, "If you're implying that Kathryn would ever--"

"Oh, please," Q said. "Kathy's got a code of behavior even _you_ might find difficult living up to. Vash always tended to cut and run when things got dangerous, but Kathy just digs in her heels. She's faced down battle fleets with little more than that famous 'death glare' of hers. And quite a temper! Whatever you do, don't cross her, and heaven forbid you ever disappoint her or let her down in any way!" He shook his head pityingly. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

This had gone on long enough, Picard decided. Any moment now, Kathryn would emerge from the bathroom, and the last thing he wanted was for her to witness this ridiculous argument with Q. "Your concern is misplaced. I assure you, I can take care of myself."

Q snorted. "Has it ever occurred to you, my dear captain, that it's not always about you?" 

He abruptly vanished, leaving Picard to wonder if it had all been a dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Kathryn had recently purchased a home in Monterey, saying how tired she was of living in Starfleet housing after all these years. Despite that, they more often than not ended up at Picard's apartment. Kathryn's excuse was that the house was still in a state of disarray from the move; with all her added responsibilities from her recent promotion, she hadn't had time to get settled in properly. But Picard couldn't help but get the impression she preferred coming to him anyway, not out of a sense of reluctance to share her space with him, but so she could be the one to leave in the morning. This sense of distance had become more pronounced the closer the date to the Enterprise-E's launch.

Her eyes were very bright, reflecting the stars overhead, as he leaned forward to kiss her. Not as clear and distinct as the stars had been in the night sky over Alaska; the lights of the city interfered, but Picard didn't care. Afterward, they lay together in a jumble of sweaty sheets, resting from their exertions.

"How was the wedding?" she asked, her head resting against his shoulder. "You never got around to telling me."

He smiled. "It's your own fault for distracting me, my dear." He smoothed her hair back from her face with his free hand, lingering tantalizingly at the nape of her neck. "It was very nice. Neither the bride nor the groom looked at all nervous, of course."

"They certainly waited long enough to tie the knot!" Kathryn gave a throaty chuckle.

"Yes, they did. We've all anticipated this for years." Picard thought back to the first meeting, or so he'd thought at the time, of Riker and Troi on the bridge of the Enterprise-D. There had been an unmistakable spark then, a connection that persisted between them for the next decade and a half, despite each one's subsequent involvement with other people. It was gratifying to finally see them together. "I think that may be why so many of the crew--both former and current--made such an effort to attend."

"I'm sure Deanna looked lovely."

"She did."

"What was her dress like?"

Picard groaned. "You'd be better off asking someone else. I never notice these sort of things. It was off-the-shoulder, that's all I remember."

"Color?"

"Pink or peach or something like that." He smiled ruefully. "Sorry, I can't do any better than that." She shook her head at him in mock exasperation, prompting him to add, "You know, you could have taken me up on my invitation to attend with me."

Kathryn rolled over abruptly. "No, that wouldn't have been right."

"Why not?" Picard raised himself on one elbow so he could see her face. "We've appeared in public together before. It's hardly a secret that we've been seeing each other."

"It's not that."

"Then what is?" Picard shook his head, puzzled. "I know you said you once dated Will, back at the Academy--"

"One date," said Kathryn. "And it wasn't exactly a memorable event."

"I was going to say, if Worf--Deanna's former lover--had no trouble attending, then that shouldn't be holding you back." She was silent. "Kathryn? What is it?"

She sat up. Her shoulder-length hair fell forward, partially obscuring her features. "This was a celebration of your ship and crew, Jean-Luc. You said it yourself--everyone there had some connection to the Enterprise, had served aboard her. I didn't want to intrude."

"That's ridiculous," he said immediately. "You wouldn't have been intruding."

She smiled, a bit sadly. " _I_ would have felt like I was."

He opened his mouth, then stopped. He thought back to the way Kathryn didn't usually volunteer stories or memories of her years in the Delta Quadrant, how she had never asked him to accompany her to any Voyager-related events, both official ones like promotion ceremonies, or the few weddings among the crew--the most recent one had been the one of her former first officer and the young woman they had rescued from the Borg. It had never occurred to him before now how closely Kathryn guarded that part of her life from him, how she must have assumed he would want to do the same as far as the Enterprise was concerned. She was wrong, of course, but he couldn't find the words to convince her.

Instead he drew her back into his arms, and then there was no need for any more speech between them.

~*~

So much for a quiet trip to Betazed, Picard thought, as he sat in his Ready Room. Almost immediately, the Enterprise-E's voyage had gotten more complicated than anyone could have anticipated. 

Picard steepled his fingers together as he listened carefully to Deanna Troi who was seated opposite him. He'd lost count of how many times they had been in this position over the years, and he had learned to trust her opinions. There was no denying how much he was going to miss having her as ship's counselor, but he could hardly fault her for choosing to accompany her husband to his new command.

"So, Captain, I think it would be in everyone's best interest," Troi finished up.

Picard nodded. "I'll talk to Data."

His comm beeped at that moment. "Captain, you have an Alpha Priority communication from Starfleet Command," said Riker.

"Acknowledged," Picard said and turned toward the counselor.

Troi immediately stood. "Thank you, sir." She exited the Ready Room swiftly.

Picard activated his desktop viewscreen, more curious than concerned though in his experience priority messages from HQ never meant good news. His eyebrows rose in surprise at the figure which appeared. 

"Admiral Janeway," he said formally. As it happened, they hadn't exchanged any messages since the Enterprise's mission began. It was highly unlikely she'd contact him in this way for a conversation of a personal nature. "Good to see you again, though I have to admit I didn't think it would be this soon."

Janeway smiled. "An unexpected pleasure for me, as well." She was in full uniform, looking every inch the distinguished Admiral she had become. Behind her, through the magnificent picture window of her office, he could see the lights surrounding the Bay twinkling in the darkness. 

Despite her official demeanor, Janeway's tone was deliberately casual. "Jean Luc, how'd you like a trip to Romulus? All expenses paid?"

Picard smiled, dutifully going along with her light manner though all his senses were alert for danger. "With or without the rest of the fleet?"

"A diplomatic mission." Janeway glanced at something out of his view. "We've been invited, believe it or not. It seems there's been some kind of internal political shakeup. The new Praetor, a man known only as Shinzon, has requested a Federation envoy."

Picard stiffened in surprise. Relations with the Romulan Star Empire had been shaky, to say the least, since the end of the Dominion War. Picard had not been among those optimistic the fragile alliance would outlast the military necessity--he paid little or no attention to the rumors that rogue elements in Starfleet Intelligence had deliberately coerced the Romulans into breaking their non-aggression pact with the Dominion--but he had not anticipated the recent coup. Apparently no one else had either. Naturally, the Federation was eager to find out the new administration's point of view, and would seek any starting point to initiate diplomatic contact. But to be specifically invited? This didn't fit in with the typical Romulan behavior.

Janeway nodded in acknowledgement of his unspoken question. "There's more than meets the eye, as always. Shinzon is apparently a Reman." 

Through the history of Starfleet's interaction with the Star Empire--encompassing two major wars, a cold peace, steadily mounting antagonism, and uneasy détente--Romulus was always the focus. Little was known of its smaller sister planet, Remus. And until now, no political figures of any importance had hailed from there.

"Believe me, we don't understand it either," Janeway continued. "The Enterprise is the closest ship so I want you to high tail it over there and hear what he has to say. Find out what's really going on." Picard nodded. Information was always the Federation's most pressing need. "If the Empire becomes unstable, it could mean trouble for the entire quadrant."

"Understood. Could you fill me in on some of the details behind the shakeup? Was Vreenak's Senate faction involved?"

Janeway stood. "We're sending you all the intelligence we have, but it's not much." She paused. "I don't need to tell you to watch your back, Jean Luc."

"Not with the Romulans," Picard agreed.

Janeway smiled wryly, tacitly acknowledging his own far greater experience in these matters. Although Voyager hadn't been her first command, there was no denying her formative years as a starship captain had taken place far from the reaches of the Alpha Quadrant, and were perhaps of little use now. "The Son'a, the Borg, the Romulans, Soran and the Nexus. You seem to get all the easy assignments."

Picard detected more than a trace of wistfulness--or was it envy?--in her voice. Like an echo from the past, he heard, _How long do you think it'll be before she begins to resent you? A constant reminder of what she can never have?_ He shook his head to dispel those thoughts. Aloud, he said, "Just lucky, Admiral."

"Let's hope that luck holds," she said. She gazed at him for a long moment. Picard was hard put to define the emotions he saw there. "Janeway out."

Her image was replaced by the Starfleet seal. Picard rose, wishing he could shake off the sense of foreboding their exchange had left him with. He did his best to put it out of his mind as he headed for the bridge. The Romulans--and this mysterious Shinzon, whoever he was--came first. His orders from Admiral Janeway were clear enough.

Time enough to deal with Kathryn when he returned to Earth.


End file.
